NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) - A driver was killed Tuesday when his luxury sports car hit a palm tree and split in half during a Newport Beach police chase that reached speeds of 100 mph, authorities said.
The crash took place shortly after 1 a.m. on Balboa Boulevard after the 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG failed to negotiate a turn. The crash scattered debris. The engine landed about 100 feet away and a tire some 200 feet away from the tree, police said.
The 29-year-old driver died at the scene. His woman passenger was hospitalized with major injuries, police said. Their names weren’t immediately released.
It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the 10-minute pursuit and whether drugs or alchohol were involved in the crash.
Newport Beach is 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
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